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OTC slaughter has been happening for many years. The mandatory reporting just brought it to everyone's attention. If archery interest is up like tags indicate, maybe AZGFD should allocate more of the harvest to Archery and reduce the rifle tags. I am sure there is a simple percentage of Bowhunters vs. rifle hunters. What is actually going to happen is, OTC will be a thing of the past and Deer hunting will be draw only. FWIW, I know of 2 buddies who have shot bucks this season. One was a 112" WT and the other was a 155-160" MD.

Of trophy bucks? Yes. Guys aren't holding out for the big buck they caught on cam anymore. They're flinging arrows at the first antlered buck that's in range. Just my humble opinion.

It did. Not of animals harvested, but of trophy bucks harvested. Everyone is in the RACE to beat the cut off.

I was only going to be able to hunt opening weekend due to work and other things going on. I had planned on sitting a tank since the monsoon has been pretty lackluster and then like clockwork a big storm rolls through the area on Wed evening. I get to camp on Thurs and there are puddles of water everywhere, I decide to sit water anyway and see what happens. Friday opening day comes, sit all day and only 2 does come to water. The weather was heating up friday and the puddles were starting to dry out, higher hopes for Saturday sit. Morning comes get to tank, I hear someone in the distance yelling at his dogs, some Turkey sound off gobbling after that. The hours go by, have people coming to tank mid day to check tracks, Have a drone flying overhead, more people coming to check tank. Im hot and irritated, its 1pm and I decide Im going to leave. I get up to stretch and look around and see a body of a deer, cant see the head. I get ready, a doe comes to water. I knew there were more than 1 deer so I stay ready. Second deer comes in and its a buck, looks like a decent buck. I decide I will take him. He drinks and I think maybe I wont take him, a little smaller than my original thoughts. He messes with the doe for a little while and starts to walk off, it was then that I decided to shoot him at 43 yds. He took a tumble right away, got up junped the fence and almost fell there. I lose him in the trees. I wait 30 mins and start to track, short blood trail as he was piled up only 30-40 yds from shot.

I’m surprised everyone is complaining. Maybe a no spike rule unless you are a youth hunter, would help. But there’s plenty of deer if you’re willing to get more than 5 feet off a road. id rather see them cut back on rifle tags, than reduce archery opportunities. It funny how archery otc is the one on the chopping block, not rifle tags usually.

For the money and known accuracy the Ruger American predator would be my choice.

Put the whole thing as a draw. A few of the desert units we used to hunt in Dec/Jan never make it to that because it closes in August every year. Those hunts are essentially eliminated.

I'm not too surprised but it is certainly interesting discussion. Mule are easier to kill than coues deer. Deer are easier to kill when it's dry. I suspect more 1-2 year-old deer were killed near a road or water than any other situation. I believe mule deer are in trouble for a variety of reasons and unchecked OTC harvest hasn't been helping. If units can't stay open for a week, they cannot stay OTC. Perhaps coues stay OTC and mule deer go all draw in years to come? Unfortunately many people's suspicions were true. I'm glad heads are no longer in the sand and the numbers are here.

Sold

I have a friend who wants to get into hunting. I chose this because ammo is readily available, recoil is light, accuracy is there and more than enough energy for deer. I am thinking a Remington 700 just for ease of the access of the safety. I like the accuracy of Savage but they can be a bit clunky and quality control is near nill. A coworker bought a Mossberg a while back and I was impressed with the fit/finish.

I buy a big bunch every season and can/jar them for use throughout the year. The last three years my local Ranch Market has been a great source of extra-hot ones, but so far this year they haven't been up to par. (For anyone in the know, even the ones that are advertised as "hot" aren't really always that hot....) I prefer to roast them myself, so looking for them unroasted. I know it's still at the front end of the season, but thought I'd throw it out there in case anyone has a source? Central-east valley preferably. Nothing like the smell of chilis roasting in the backyard, then steaming in the plastic bag in the kitchen prior to peeling! Send me a private message if you would rather, as I know this can be something that some folks wouldn't want advertised to the world. 😂 S.

Just a quick thank you to GnF for allowing me to maintain my lifetime safety issue/negetavie interactions related to game cameras in the field at zero with the recent trail camera ban. I'd hate to have ruined my lifetime record of zero issues with a negative interaction. I would also like to let them know of a negative consequence directly related to the camera ban. A drinker that is typically heavily used by bears, elk, Mulies, WT, bobcats and a host of other critters was dry all summer. (I'm saying "all summer" because only a single squirrel hit the tank in a period of 3 days. I have had a camera on this tank for the last 4 years and check it every spring and summer and have made repairs to this tank in the past when I found problems. As I had no reason to set a camera this year, the broken pipe was not discovered until the fall hunt. I went up to sit my favorite tank for bear and found the holding tank empty due to a break in the supply line from the holding tank to the drinker. After the usual cleaning of the catchment filter screen, removing a ton of pine needles and a crappy band-aid fix to the pipe and a perfectly timed downpour that same afternoon, the holding tank gained over 2" of water and the drinker was full. I'll return at some point with tools and supplies to make the repair permanent. I doubt the camera ban was intended to remove a water source for wildlife but in this case, that was the effect of the ban so 👍.

Got kicked right in the balls, Diagnosed with pancreatic and liver cancer and need to start unloading things to lessen the burden on the family, any interest for Davis Wall tent, 12x14 internal frame, stove jack and stove, another 14x16, frame,door front and back , no stove jack, looking to get cash and no trades, have too much other stuff to unload, looking to get $2200 for 12x14 package and $2000 for 14x16, used twice and like new, come with storage bags as well....Andy send me a message if you are interested thanks

Should at least switch it to out of state draw only

What the heck did everybody do before cameras were even a thing? Jesus. I take every chance I can to get out in the woods, places I've never been, etc., and I've never bothered to own a camera. Either you want to be in the woods or you don't, but it's not the camera bans fault that a drinker broke, and nobody fixed it until now.

So sorry to hear this news. I'm certain forum members can assist in any way we can. I'm good on a tent. Good buy for someone.

F! To the yeah!

Made 2 batches grouper piccata I couldn’t lay off it.

Since I was going old school with the rifle, I went old school with ammo. 150 grain Winchester silver tips.

Man did you call that!

Let me find some. Ok here's one.

What hunt do you need help on now

My 2022 Archery buck

Little Forky shot at 47 yards in unit 10 on the 20 th